Pumpkin Nacho Cheese Ball

I apologize for this horrible picture. Harsh sunlight and sitting on a FedEx box is certainly not ideal, but it was the only way to get a picture of this before it was devoured at our Reformation Potluck at church on Sunday.  I saw it in Food Network Magazine and thought it would be perfect for a late October potluck.  I changed it slightly; here's my version.

Pumpkin Nacho Cheese Ball

Ingredients:

2 (8 oz.) pkgs. cream cheese, softened

3 tbsp taco sauce

1 tsp cumin

¼ tsp chipotle powder

1 ½ cups shredded cheddar cheese

½ of an 11 oz. bag of Doritos, crushed into tiny pieces

Stem from a bell pepper

Blue corn tortilla chips

Directions:

Mix together the cream cheese, taco sauce, cumin, chipotle powder, and cheddar cheese.  Scoop onto plastic wrap and use the wrap to form the mixture into a 5” pumpkin-shaped ball; chill at least 2 hours. 

To serve, unwrap, roll in crushed Doritos and press a bell pepper stem into the top.  Place on platter and serve with blue corn tortilla chips.

Makes ? servings.

Sorry that I don't know how many servings it makes.  I changed the seasoning from the original.  It called for salsa, minced onions, and jalepenos.  I thought having chunks in it might turn some people off (especially kids), so I used a smooth taco sauce instead.  And added a bit of chipotle powder to spice it up just slightly.  

This would make the perfect addition to any Halloween party, or it would also be great to make for yourself to snack on in between doorbell rings on Halloween night!

It would also be great for Thanksgiving.  Maybe replace the blue corn chips with some kind of brown cracker?  Like Triscuits or Wheat Thins or something like that.